Life expectancy at birth, total in South Korea
South Korea: Life expectancy at birth, total was 83.63 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
83.63 years
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
14th
of 218 countries
All-time high
83.63 years
in 2024
All-time low
53.8 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in South Korea, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth, total in South Korea is 83.63 years, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in South Korea peaked at 83.63 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 53.8 years, in 1960.
That places South Korea 14th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, total in South Korea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 53.8 years | — |
| 1961 | 54.48 years | +1.3% |
| 1962 | 55.05 years | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 55.03 years | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 55.39 years | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 55.86 years | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 55.52 years | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 60.93 years | +9.7% |
| 1968 | 60.94 years | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 61.48 years | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 62.16 years | +1.1% |
| 1971 | 62.61 years | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 63.01 years | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 63.41 years | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 63.8 years | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 64.15 years | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 64.5 years | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 64.9 years | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 65.2 years | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 65.55 years | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 66.05 years | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 66.55 years | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 67.1 years | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 67.55 years | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 68.2 years | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 68.8 years | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 69.45 years | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 70 years | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 70.55 years | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 71.05 years | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 71.6 years | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 72.05 years | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 72.5 years | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 73 years | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 73.4 years | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 73.7 years | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 74.15 years | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 74.6 years | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 75 years | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 75.41 years | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 75.91 years | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 76.41 years | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 76.77 years | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 77.21 years | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 77.67 years | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 78.17 years | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 78.67 years | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 79.12 years | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 79.52 years | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 79.97 years | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 80.12 years | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 80.57 years | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 80.82 years | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 81.27 years | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 81.72 years | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 82.02 years | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 82.28 years | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 82.63 years | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 82.63 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 83.23 years | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 83.43 years | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 83.53 years | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 82.68 years | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 83.43 years | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 83.63 years | +0.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 83.63 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.36 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 83.63 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.99 years, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 56.85 years | 53.8 years | 61.48 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 63.93 years | 62.16 years | 65.55 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.53 years | 66.05 years | 71.05 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 73.54 years | 71.6 years | 75.41 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.94 years | 75.91 years | 79.97 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.73 years | 80.12 years | 83.23 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.34 years | 82.68 years | 83.63 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More health data for South Korea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.43 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1935 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,072 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 69 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0118 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in South Korea?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in South Korea was 83.63 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 83.63 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.8 years in 1960.
- How does South Korea rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- South Korea ranks 14th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.